


Blood Vs Bloodshed

by longlostlonely



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Episode: s03e06 Murdoc + MacGyver + Murdoc, F/M, James MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016) Being an Asshole, M/M, Mercenary Mac, Minor Character Death, dark MacGyver, hit man macgyver
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-10-14 12:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17508236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longlostlonely/pseuds/longlostlonely
Summary: "You are good at this. I mean really good. Did you ever consider, you know, switching sides, playing for the fun team?" Mac would be lying if he said he didn't at least contemplate it. So when Cassian called him "dad" on one of his visits, he regrets passing on Murdoc's offer.I figured if no one else was going to write this then I should. Mac POV. first 2 chapters then switches to 3 person for the rest





	1. Did he even realise?

It's been about a week since Murdoc kidnapped me to save his son. I won't deny part of me probably would have done it anyway. But I had to remember Jill and everything she'd done for me. Everything she'd done for The Phoenix Foundation. I was almost thankful he had to force me. It meant I didn't have to have the burden of the death of a small, innocent child on my shoulders. In the end, both of our loved ones were safe...

Except for one fact:

I don't love Nasha anymore. 

When I got back, we talked about what happened. I told her it was dangerous to be with me. She didn't care about the dangers. She still loved me. That was around about the time I realised I couldn't return those feelings. After telling her this, she nodded and took the first flight back home. Strangely enough, I wasn't sad.

***

It's been two weeks since I saved Cassian. A week ago I started visiting him in federal protection. Matty said he's never been more open with anyone than he is with me. He draws with his crayons and gives me the pictures. Bozer has no idea why I have so many drawings on the fridge. So far it was only really Matty and Jack that knew. And Oversight, of course. I kind of wish he didn't. Ever since I re-joined Phoenix, he's been trying to take me off the field. Thankfully he’s been failing quite miserably. 

I headed off to Cassian’s place early; I’ve been given permission to take him to school for the rest of the month before he’s next moved. Jack was even kind enough to lend me his sweet car so Cassian and I can ride in style. When I knocked on the door to his host parents place, his host mother invited me in, and I was greeted with a hug around the waist from Cassian.

“Mac? What are you doing here?” Cassian asks, barely able to contain his joy at my surprise arrival.

“I’m going to take you to school from now on!” I reply, flashing a smile at the kid.

Cassian lets go of my waist. He begins practically jumping around the house. I can’t help but laugh at his reaction.

“Cassian!” His host mother scolds him. “Go get ready for school! Or MacGyver won’t be able to take you.”

Cassian looks a mix between shocked and offended as he runs off upstairs. I watch him leave, still smiling. 

“Please,” Cassian’s host mother gestures to the living room couch. “Take a seat. He’ll be a bit and I’m making tea.”

I nod. “Thank you.” I make my way to the living room. When I take a seat, I look around the room. I’ve been here loads of times but there’s always something different. Last time I was here there was a picture of the family dog. Now, in its place, a photo of Cassian in school uniform. I smile softly at it. 

Cassian’s host mother comes from the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. “There you go.” She places the cup on a coaster as she takes a seat on the chair opposite the couch I was sitting on. 

“Thanks.” I reply. I pick it up and take a sip. It’s so warm compared to the coldness of the house. “So,” I begin. “Where’s John?” John is Cassian’s host father.

“John had to leave early for work today.” She frowns slightly. “Thank you for driving all the way here to help out.” She puts her mug down. “It really means a lot.”

I shake my head giving her a soft smile. “It’s really no problem. I care for Cassian same as you.” Cassian pops his head around the wall to investigate what they’re talking about. I put my mug down. “Speak of the devil!” I chuckle. She turns her head to look at Cassian. He takes that as a sign to come into the room. He’s wearing a backpack and looks ready to go. 

“You good?” His host mother asks.

He nods a few times smiling then looks at me. “Everything but lunch.”

“Right.” His host mother gets up and grabs a paper bag from the fridge. She hands it to Cassian. “There you go. Now I want you to eat all that young man.” She holds her finger out sternly but you can tell there was a joking side to her.

Cassian smiles and nods. “I will.” His smile suddenly drops. “Oh no!” He drops his bag and lunch and races back upstairs. I give his host mother a questioning look. She just shrugs as a response.

Cassian returns wearing headphones around his neck. “Dad gave them to me. I don’t want to leave them behind.” He explains. I nod. Murdoc always made Cassian put the volume up loud whenever he was about to kill someone so Cassian could remain clueless and unaffected. Just as a boy his age should be.

“Okay!” I clap my hands together and stand up. “We best get going then.” I pick up Cassian’s dropped school bag and lunch. I sling the bag around my shoulder and give him his lunch. I then turn to his host mother. “Thanks for the tea. I’ll be back same time tomorrow.” I flash her a comforting smile. She waves us off as both Cassian and I climb into Jack’s car.

“Nice ride!” Cassian exclaims after shutting the door to the front seat.

“I know right! It’s Jacks so you can’t really doubt him.” I joke. Cassian laughs a little. I start the car and then we’re off to school.

***

The drive to school was filled with the two of us belting our lungs out to some of Jack’s country music. It was a smooth ride filled with only laughs and joy. If I’m being honest, I’ve never felt happier than by Cassian’s side. 

I pull up at the front of the school. Some of the older kids look at our ride in awe. Cassian gathers his stuff from the back seat. He was just about to leave when…

“Hey, Cassian!” I call out.

He turns around, confused to what I was doing.

I hold up his lunch. “You almost forgot this.”

He smiles back at me, opens the car door and grabs it. “Thanks, dad.” He says, still smiling. He walks off back into school. I wave him off, in shock from being called ‘Dad’.

When I get home I’m filled with contentment and joy. Bozer has no idea why. The joy quickly fades when I get a ping on my phone. I sigh when I read the contact. “Matty.”


	2. I Quit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor Violence in this chapter. It's a lot less "cute" than chapter one. Also done in one hour so editing may occur.

When I told Bozer about the message he just shrugged. Apparently, he didn’t get the message.  
“Must be some sort of field mission,” I assure him. But I don’t know, Bozer is now allowed on field missions thanks to his training at spy academy.  
I drive Jack’s car to the Foundation. He said he’d pick it up from there later. To my surprise, the War Room’s windows were blocked out. I quicken my pace, slightly concerned about what this meeting is about. I swing open the door and see Matty and- oh god no. Matty and my Dad. I sigh, exasperated. I close the door gently behind me.

“Matty.” I nod to her. I turn to my dad, resisting the urge to snarl at him. “Oversight.”  
He looks hurt by that. Good.  
“Son, Matty and I have been talking and I’ve had a change of heart.”  
The confusion on my face must have been clear because he explained.  
“We’re allowing you to remain on field missions-“ I sigh with relief. Field missions mean a lot to me. The lab assistants hate my guts. “However,” My dad continues. “You will no longer be working with Dalton, Miss Davis, or Mr Bozer.”  
The world goes red. Any noise is muffled by anger. “What?!” I spit. “They’re my team!” I’m shouting now. They’re unfazed by my reaction. They knew I’d react that way and that only made me angrier. Oversight seems to be saying something, but I don’t care. I look at Matty for any support. She just looks away shamefully.  
The world goes back to normal. My throat hurts. Was I shouting? A fist connects with my jaw. I stumble to the ground. Matty is trying to pull Dad away from me but to no avail. The punches keep hitting. The kicks still hurting.

It feels like forever until he finally stops. The tears are still streaming down my face. My sobs are quiet. Matty offers her hand. I hit it away. I get up off the floor slowly, an arm covering my ribs. One of them was definitely broken. I stumble towards the door. I open it and see Jack, wide-eyed and concerned. Before he can say anything, I turn back and stare straight into Oversight’s eyes.  
“I quit.” Again. In all honesty, I shouldn’t have re-joined in the first place. As I stumble away from the War Room, Jack follows me. He’s trying to help. He keeps asking what’s wrong or what happened. But he doesn’t ask why. I’m thankful for that. It would’ve taken hours to give all the reasons why I quit.  
Then I remember Cassian. Because I quit, I won’t be able to see him. I stop so suddenly in the hall that Jack bumps into me.  
“Come on kid talk to me.” He pleads.  
I give him a sad look. “Jack, I’m going to need your car for a little while longer.”  
“I don’t know, are you even in a fit state to drive?” He’s in front of me now.  
It only takes one pleading look from me and he caves. He hands me the keys.  
“Don’t get a scratch on it.” He jokes as I walk off. I can hear the sadness in his voice. It hurts leaving Jack in the dark. But he can’t get involved. 

***

I pull up out the front of the school. Cassian spots me and smiles. Suddenly the world doesn’t seem as bad as it did a second ago.  
“Mac!” He runs up to the car.  
“Hey Cassian!” I smile down at him from the car. “Wanna hop in?”  
He nods and gets into the passenger seat. He looks up at me and frowns. “What happened to your face?”  
I shake my head, smiling so Cassian doesn’t worry too much. “Nothing. Just another day at work. Actually…”  
I position my body, so Cassian and I are face to face. “Cassian. I have a question for you.”  
He nods in understanding. “Go ahead and ask.” He grins. My heart melts.  
“Would you like to live with me for a while?” I’m holding my breath. Hoping he says-  
“Yes!” I let out a breath of relief and hug him. He hugs back.  
“Are you good to go now?”  
He nods a few times. “I have everything important with me.”  
I start driving. “Great! I just have to pick up something from my place and then we can hit the road.” I bite my lip. “We can even pick up your dad from his business trip.” I can’t believe I just said that. It was a terrible idea. But Murdoc knows more about disappearing than I do. Even if he wants to kill me.  
Cassian seems happy enough. 

***

Bozer is there when I get home. I told Cassian to stay in the car.  
“Hey, Bozer I’m going on a trip for a while.” I hide my face from him, so he doesn’t see the bruises or blood.  
“Stay safe!” Bozer calls from the kitchen. It’s almost a blessing that Boze has a carefree nature.  
I head to my room and pack spare clothes and a lot of cash. I also sneak food from the kitchen when Bozer isn’t in it. I pack some extra things that could potentially help with the Murdoc plan.  
“See ya!” I call out as he waves me off from the living room. 

Once we’re ready, Cassian and I hit the road. We have a long journey ahead of us.


	3. Cake + Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murdoc prison breakout!  
> CHANGES TO THIRD PERSON!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter and the following chapters, you can thank SlytherinQueen021. Honestly, you made me feel guilty which was just the kick on the ass I needed. I did get ahead on my homework so school is no longer a problem and my book can wait if you lot need me now.

By the time Mac and Cassian were out of the big city, it was night-time. They managed to find a motel with a room spare but unfortunately only had one bed. Mac didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he was going to sleep anyway. Though, he definitely needed it. The bags under his eyes were pretty big and the cuts and bruises on his face didn’t do any favours.

***

Cassian sat on the double bed in the motel room cuddling a toy Mac bought him on the way. Under the light at the table, Mac was fiddling with something. He wouldn’t tell Cassian what it was. The golden glow barely illuminated the table and Mac cast a sinister but tired silhouette. Cassian must have moved or made a noise a tad too loud because Mac flinched. He looked back at Cassian, eyes gentle.

“You okay?” Mac asked Cassian.

Cassian nods in reply. “What are you doing?”

Mac hesitates, glancing between the mess on the table and Cassian. He’s judging whether to tell him or not.

“A gift.” He finally replies. “For your father so he can come here after his big business trip.”

Cassian’s face lights up.

“But,” Mac begins quickly. “That can only happen if you sleep.” He tries to think of a cover story. “Santa’s going to deliver it to him so you gotta sleep or else he won’t get his present.” _Smooth_. Mac thinks to himself.

To Mac’s surprise though, it works like a charm and Cassian falls asleep almost immediately.

 

Mac lets out a sigh of relief and finishes by morning. He wipes the box of fingerprints and posts it.

 

**SOME MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON**

**LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

A buzz. Murdoc stands up from his bed. He’s been in solitary for so long that buzz almost made him thankful. A few months ago, he would have punched the speaker down. One of the guards comes in with…

Oh? What’s this? A present wrapped in a pretty green wrapping paper. The guard finally speaks and explains.

“A present for your birthday or something. From someone called ‘Gus’.”

Murdoc raised an eyebrow but kept his mouth shut. The guard answered his unspoken question.

“We x-rayed it. No knives, no gun, no nothing. Should you somehow choke and die… Well, let’s just say no one’s going to try and save you this time.”

“Course not.” Murdoc retorts. The two stand there for a moment in total silence before the guard finally left.

Murdoc approached the green box. Upon closer examination, he could see where the guards had lazily fixed the paper. He takes a look at the note attached. There seems to be a code on it. The guards mustn’t have examined it as closely as they said.

 _)2?42\4_ =2v3  
2~-5~3d32=~  
-2)n7g3p

_-Gus_

Murdoc put the note beside him and moved onto the box. What he found was a cake and a crayon. He figured the crayon was for the note but what of the cake? Murdoc sighed when he realised, he now had to decode the code to get his answers. After taking a longer look at the book, Murdoc found the code familiar. Although it took him a bit of thinking, he finally realised it was the same code in Anne Lister's journal. He writes in the crayon underneath the code the following words:

 _Cassian is safe_  
At motel east  
\- MacGyver

To say Murdoc was confused would be the understatement of the century. And instead of answering questions, it just raised more. Murdoc took one last look at the note before returning to the cake. It was an absolutely stunning cake. There were many layers and lots of coloured icing. Murdoc was definitely going to ask MacGyver how he did it.

 

Murdoc carefully broke into the middle of the cake and just as he expected, was a bomb. It must have been a MacGyver speciality 'ghost bomb’ that Murdoc forced Mac to tell him about. There were instructions on top telling Murdoc how to use it. Murdoc took a bite of the lovely cake while reading them. Seemed pretty easy. He just had to connect it to the light during the day and when night comes and so do the lights:

Kaboom.

 

Murdoc connects it just after his lunch arrives, so he won’t have any visitors until dinner when the lights go on. Until then, Murdoc does his usual routine of pacing and thinking. There is the occasional whistle inspired by MacGyver’s new need to help Murdoc.

***

The sun goes down. The lights go on. A timer on the bomb starts counting down from 15. Murdoc grabs his bed covers to shield himself from the blast. It works like a charm. From then on, Murdoc has to rely on his pure killer instinct to leave the facility. Once he’s outside in the forest. He heads east, away from the hunting party that’s after him.

 

It’s a while before Murdoc sees anything other than pitch black trees and the stars. He doesn’t let his guard down when he sees headlights. The party had obviously given up on searching for him judging by the lack of barking from the dogs. If Murdoc went on his tippy-toes he could see the beginning of dawn cracking through.

The car's headlights were on but the car was stagnant. Murdoc could just make out a figure leaning against the hood of the car. When he got closer, he could see a smaller figure in the car. He could also make out the long blonde hair that belongs to only one person.

“Well, well, well,” Murdoc says, a cocky grin residing on his face. “Angus MacGyver. I don’t know whether I should thank you or kill you.”

Mac just sighs. “I wouldn’t do that later in front of the kid.” He gestures to the car and sure enough. Cassian is sitting there looking down, the headphones Murdoc got him on his head.

Murdoc makes his way over to the side of the car and kneels down. “Hey, Cassian.”

Cassian looks up at the voice so close to him. His smile is so bright it fills the mercenary’s non-existent heart with joy. Cassian throws open the door and hugs his father. Murdoc hugs back. Mac gives the two some room and starts to go to the driver’s side when Murdoc speaks again.

“Get in here.” Mac looks at the previously hugging father and son, both now have their arms wide open.

“For a hug?” Mac asks.

“Yes!” Cassian giggles.

Mac hesitates but makes his way back over to that side of the car. He’s uncomfortable being this close to Murdoc but Cassian wants him there, so he just has to suck it up. He puts his arm on Murdoc’s back and around Cassian’s shoulder. It’s awkward for a moment but Mac’s shoulders soon lose all tension and the embrace becomes true between the three of them. Mac almost forgets all about his and Murdoc’s past.

 

It felt good to have another family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you! Comments and Kudo's are appreciated!


	4. Bathroom + Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mac and Murdoc! On the road! But what's this? Jack Dalton and co. on a mission. No, not that kind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated! I'm thinking of doing more fanfics in other fandoms.

The car ride is quiet. Mac’s been driving all day. It’s dark now.  
When they first tried to turn on the radio, the only thing that came up was ominous static. Cassian was in the back, dozing off to whatever music was coming out of his headphones. Now, Murdoc was driving, and now, instead of a bright orange jumpsuit, he donned a fresh pair of clothes. A black long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants.  
Mac was in the passenger seat and was leaning against the window. He could feel the nights cold air on his temple as it seeped through the glass. It was refreshing and relaxing, helping him fall asleep.

\|/

Mac’s in a dark room, handcuffed to some old metal chair. He can’t see the walls, only an IV unit and a needle sticking out of his arm. He tries to call for help but no noise comes out. There’s a sinister laugh echoing off the darkness. Murdoc’s laugh. Mac screams. This time there is noise.

When Mac opens his eyes, he’s in a different place. A white room, blinding him. He doesn’t even remember closing them. He looks down at his hands. The handcuffs are gone, but in their place is a sleek black phone. He examines it for a minute, it seems perfectly normal. It starts ringing a soft jingle. The lock screen’s wallpaper is a picture of a girl, maybe in her late twenties, with blonde hair and glasses. __  
What is this? Mac thinks to himself.  
He answers it. Once again, the scenery changes. Mac’s standing in the middle of a road with trees all around him. To his left is a small blue car. It looks so familiar, but he just can’t quite put his finger on how he would know it. A girl sits in the driver's seat on the phone to someone.

  
_“Hello?”_ The girl's voice comes through Mac’s phone.   
“Jill?” Mac scoffs. He’s shocked but not sure why. _That was Jill’s photo. That’s Jill in the car. How did I not recognise her?_  
_“Hey, Mac, what’s going on?”_ She sounds just as confused as Mac feels.  
“I don’t know you tell me. I just got a phone delivered with your number on it.” _No, you didn’t. Something’s wrong._ A little voice nags at the back of Mac’s mind.  
“Where are y-?” Her voice is cut off by a demon rising up out of the back seat.  
His form is black as night with teeth long and white like a viper. His horns were long and twisted. He reached out and put his hand around Jill’s throat. Mac runs towards the car, shattering the phone like glass on the concrete.

“Jill!” He calls out but she can’t hear him. But the demon can. He throws his head back and laughs. He laughs Murdoc’s laugh. Mac’s screams only make the laugh louder.

The demon slices Jill’s neck open.

But the demons laugh wasn’t Murdoc’s anymore. And Mac wasn’t outside of the car. He was inside. His hands covered in blood. Jill’s blood.

Whispers tell Mac of the monster Murdoc is. Of the monster Mac is.   
A car’s horn slowly drowns them out.

\|/

Mac’s hand's race for his ears.  
“ah!” He exclaims. Murdoc was holding the car horn down out the front of a gas station.

“Wakey-wakey sleepyheads! It’s time to get some gas.” Murdoc gets out of the car, a smug smile on his face.   
Mac rubs his eyes, he feels wetness on his cheek. _  
Was I… crying?_   Just another thing to add to Mac’s never-ending list of questions.

Mac gets out of the car. He looks over to the desk and sees Murdoc paying for gas and what appears to be a key to somewhere. There’s a quiet yawn behind him. He looks and sees Cassian, headphones left in the car.

“Cassian,” Mac says softly. “C’ mon.” He holds his hand out for Cassian to take, which he does. They shuffle over and meet Murdoc out the front of the gas station doors. The lights in there remind Mac of the white room in his dream.

“I’ve paid for the gas and I have a key to the bathroom.” Murdoc looks at Cassian. “Do you need to go?”  
Cassian just shakes his head and yawns again.  
Murdoc eyes Mac, who in return shrugs. “I’ll go in soon.”  
After a small nod, Murdoc leaves around the side of the building.

Mac kneels so he’s face to face with Cassian. “Here’s $15. Go buy any snacks you might want for a trip.” Cassian takes the money and heads inside. There’s a bounce in his step that definitely wasn’t there a second ago.

After a moment of consideration, Mac follows Murdoc to the bathroom. He’s washing his hands by the time Mac opens the door.

“Murdoc, we need to talk.” Murdoc turns around to face him.   
“Really Angus? I thought we were going to go on this little road trip of yours without saying a word to each other.” Mac winces when Murdoc calls him Angus.  
“I’m doing this for Cassian.” Mac continues, doing his best to disregard Murdoc’s comment.  
“No, you’re not.”  
Mac sighs. “No, I’m not.” He moves to lean against a sink’s basin. “I’m doing this to disappear.”  
Murdoc looks at him expectantly.   
“and if I didn’t take Cassian, that not only would you not help me, but Phoenix might hurt him.”  
Murdoc nods. “See now MacGyver, a little bit of honesty never hurt anybody.” He’s quiet for a bit, the only noise is the winter wind running alongside the door. “And I will help you on one condition.”  
“And what will that be-?” Mac asks, cut off by the feeling of Murdoc’s lips against his own. It’s gentle, not at all what you’d expect a psychopath’s kiss to be like. Murdoc’s hand caresses Mac’s cheek, melting him in an instant.  
It’s Mac who pulls away first. As much as he wanted it, he also knows that this is the same man who tortured him, who kidnapped his girlfriend and killed Jill.  
“The condition is,” Murdoc continues as if nothing happened. “That you stay with Cassian and I. Whether that be looking after him while I’m on business trips or helping me on business trips.”  
Mac wants to yell at him. Scream ‘no’ in his face and drive away, but where can he go? He just broke a criminal out of a high-security prison. As far as he knows he has nowhere else to go. So, he nods. “Okay. I accept that condition.”  
Murdoc smiles smugly and leaves.

When Mac leaves the bathroom, the wind wakes him up from his daze. He just agreed to become a criminal. Why would he do that?  
The sun is rising just over a mountain. It’s a beautiful sight. Signifying a new day and, for Mac, a new life.

___

_Jack Dalton POV_

PHOENIX FOUNDATION  
A FEW HOURS EARLIER

Jack felt like an idiot.  
Mac was missing along with Cassian and his car. The car that Jack let Mac have - both gone. When Mac came out of the war room he was bruised and holding his ribs, looking half-dead. When Overwatch said that Mac quit, Jack knew something wasn’t right. For the following days after that, Matty hadn’t shown up for work and Oversight refuses to send a search party for Mac.

For the first time in what felt like forever, they were finally going to be assigned a mission. Jack needed something to get his mind off his missing kid. When he entered, Riley, Bozer, Matty, and Oversight were all already there. Matty’s face was red and her eyes were puffy like she’d been crying.

“Jack. Nice of you to finally show up.” Jack never realised how venomous Oversight’s voice could sound.  
“Yeah, I just got back from a nice big breakfast. It had egg, bacon, avoca-”  
Oversight cuts him off. Great.  
“You’ll have to tell us another time,” _You mean never?_ Jack thinks.   
“For now, the only thing you have to worry about is this:” He presses a button, and, on the screen, it shows Murdoc’s face.  
“You’re kidding!” Bozer exclaims.  
“How?” Riley asks.  
Jack just stands there, stunned.  
“We have reason to believe that this man gave him the tools for him to escape,” Overwatch adds another face to the screen.

It’s Mac’s face.

The room goes quiet.  
“And let me guess,” Jack starts, breaking the silence. “You want us to take him in; dead or alive.” It wasn’t phrased as a question.  
Oversight nods.  
“Then I quit,” Jack says bluntly.  
There’s a moment of hesitation.  
“I quit too.” Riley stands up from her seat.  
“Same. There’s no way I’m hunting down my best friend.” Bozer explains.  
They all look expectantly at Matty.  
There’s a slight smile on her face. She nods. They all exit the War Room, leaving a stunned Oversight in their wake.

They were going to find Mac. But only to get him away from that psychopath Murdoc. They were going to find him and Cassian, take Murdoc back into custody and become a family once again.

A real family.


End file.
